"Why are there so many complications?" Zhuo Bufan asked, quite curious.

"I have an investor who requires me to go to other places," Jiang Man answered honestly.

"I have an investor too, but nothing’s happened," Zhuo Bufan said.

Jiang Man looked at him, thought for a moment, and said, "Could it be that you’re just too weak?"

Zhuo Bufan fell silent.

"With the Secret Realm opening this time, I wonder what those three geniuses—the ones in a league of their own—will manage to obtain." Zhuo Bufan changed the subject.

Out of curiosity, Jiang Man asked about their Cultivation.

They were close to breaking through to the Mid-stage before. They should have reached it by now.

Jiang Man was a little surprised.

’Their Cultivation speed is actually this fast.’

Zhuo Bufan said, "Of course it’s fast. They not only have sufficient Talent, but also vast resources. The lowest they cultivate are Middle Grade, and some of their Cultivation Skills are even Top-grade.

"Unlike us. We have to wait three years just for a Middle-grade Skill and have to build our foundation with a Simple Skill first."

Zhao Yaoyao said disdainfully, "Then I just need to get first place a few times."

"Doesn’t that mean you have even less hope?" Cao Cheng chimed in.

An Rong also continued, "You won’t get a chance to be first in this lifetime."

Zhao Yaoyao stared at them, stunned. After fumbling for a moment, she pulled out a small notebook and muttered, "Today, I was mocked by Cao Cheng and An Rong."

The two of them were speechless.

"Stop writing that down. If you keep a record, they’ll start denying their debts," Lin Qingshan said.

"It’s fine, someone will teach them a lesson." Zhao Yaoyao looked to the side at Wei Beichuan, who had been staring at the two of them.

With his icy gaze and grim expression, he looked as if he would take his prey’s life at any moment.

Zhuo Bufan said, "Wei Beichuan might be the first among us to cultivate a Top-grade Skill. I don’t think he’s using a Simple Skill. I’m afraid he started with a Middle-grade Skill from the very beginning."

As Jiang Man listened to them chat, he realized that even these disciples had to rely on rankings or simply wait a long time to obtain a good Cultivation Skill.

Starting right away with a Top-grade one was something only a very small minority could do.

Either one was exceptionally wealthy, or one’s Talent was so astonishing that they could go all out to acquire a Top-grade one.

If one could truly master a Top-grade Skill, it was worth learning.

A higher ranking allowed one to compete for numerous resources.

If you could maintain first place for all nine years, the Sect would grant you a massive amount of resources.

It was safe to say that anyone who could rank in the top three was decked out in Top-grade Cultivation Methods and Magic Skills.

After asking about some more news about the Secret Realm, Jiang Man left not long after Mr. Yan arrived.

He needed to go back and cultivate the Celestial Heart Seal.

He had managed to squeeze in some Cultivation time earlier, and his progress had improved dramatically.

He would enter the Secret Realm at midnight, so there was still plenty of time left.

’It should be enough.’

Just as midnight approached, Jiang Man finally ceased his cultivation, letting out a heavy sigh. "It’s done."

At this moment, an aura surrounded his body, seeming to transform into whatever it encountered.

Then it gradually dissipated.

"The Celestial Heart Seal is being distributed all the way down to the Qi Refining stage, yet almost no one at Foundation Establishment cultivates it," Jiang Man lamented.

’It’s just too time-consuming.’

’It seems the intention is to have people start cultivating it from the Qi Refining stage.’

’Then, once they reach Foundation Establishment, some will choose to continue cultivating it.’

’As for why... perhaps it’s to give those who can’t afford other Top-grade Skills a fighting chance.’

’You might not be able to win, but you’d be very hard to defeat.’

Jiang Man sat in front of the Old Yellow Ox, eating and listening to its explanation of the Five Elements Technique.

He had heard it many times, always listening while he ate to save time.

The Old Yellow Ox had explained it many times, so each time was slightly different.

This allowed Jiang Man to absorb the information better.

"This feels much easier than the Celestial Heart Seal. Plus, it only has nine layers. After I enter the Secret Realm, I might be able to master it in just a few days," Jiang Man said.

"For that, you’ll need a good environment. You won’t get one if you go in without having started your Cultivation of it," the Old Yellow Ox reminded him.

Jiang Man wasn’t concerned about that. Instead, he asked about Meng Qiewei’s methods.

"There’s nothing to be done. It’s her home turf. No matter what I do, I can’t hide you from her without being noticed." The Old Yellow Ox looked at Jiang Man and continued, "It all depends on whether your luck is heaven-defying. However, I can be sure of one thing: she won’t be able to pinpoint you.

"At most, she’ll know you’re in the Wuyun Sect."

"I’m the only person in the Wuyun Sect who raises an ox," Jiang Man said.

Speaking, Jiang Man stared at the Old Yellow Ox. "Old Huang, how about..."

"How about I make a run for it first?" Old Huang offered.

"That’s not very loyal," Jiang Man said, shaking his head. "What happened to your magnanimity?"

Seeing it was almost time, Jiang Man kept eating. "I have no Spiritual Source to buy Elixirs, so I can only eat my fill now.

"Otherwise, I’ll be starving when I go in."

In the past, he would just eat Nourishing Essence Pills inside.

Now, although he had prepared two Qi Blood Pills, they wouldn’t last long.

When he was in the middle of Cultivation, he would be completely focused.

There was simply no time to look for food.

Midnight.

Seeing the Token light up, Jiang Man said to the Old Yellow Ox, "Old Huang, I’m going in. My luck is heaven-defying, nothing will happen."

——

「In a quaint courtyard.」

Meng Qiewei, who was resting with her eyes closed and her chin in one hand, suddenly opened her eyes.

Many complex runes flowed within her beautiful eyes.

Soon, they transformed into several fixed runes.

At this moment, the corners of her mouth twitched, revealing a faint, almost imperceptible smile.

In an instant, the entire courtyard seemed to be bathed in a spring breeze, filled with vibrant life.

Then, it suddenly became bone-chillingly cold.

"My dear husband, I’ve found you."

At that instant, the ground itself seemed to start freezing over.

Qing Dai, who had just entered, shivered, not knowing what had happened at all.

But this cold was different from before.

It wasn’t as terrifying.

"My Lady," Qing Dai said, placing the teapot on the table, somewhat puzzled. "Are you thinking about matters concerning the Immortal Sect?

"They’ve already provided an explanation. They claim their subordinates didn’t know what the Brocade Bag signified and had no intention of insulting you.

"However, I find that statement ambiguous.

"If they didn’t know what it meant, how could they have obtained the Brocade Bag?

"The person who applied might not have known, but could the person who approved it not have known?

"Furthermore, if the applicant hadn’t given a sufficient justification, the application wouldn’t have been approved.

"After all, it’s related to you, My Lady.

"I’m afraid...

"I’m afraid the other party was arrogant and clueless, and managed to persuade the overseer by testing the waters."

Reigning in her thoughts, Meng Qiewei said calmly, "Don’t worry about these things. What else has the Immortal Sect done?"

"Those two are alive, but they’ve been crippled," Qing Dai continued. "Furthermore, the one overseeing it was sent to Purgatory.

"The Brocade Bag is currently back in its original place, still under guard."

"That’s all?" Meng Qiewei asked.

Qing Dai didn’t know if her lady was satisfied or not, and could only answer truthfully, "That’s all."

Meng Qiewei no longer inquired about this, instead asking about the Secret Realm. "Is there any news regarding the new generation of Celestial Prides?"

"Yes. The Secret Realm has opened and will last for about half a month. We’ll have to see if anything is discovered," Qing Dai said quietly. "That new Celestial Pride seems to have found something. He specifically allowed a few extremely young people to enter.

"They just barely meet the requirements.

"They speculate it might be related to the Unparalleled Celestial Pride Fate Chart.

"But we’re not sure what that new Celestial Pride is planning."

Meng Qiewei lowered her gaze. The Secret Realm had opened, and the measure she’d left behind had just been triggered.

’Now I can be certain that my dear husband is already in the Secret Realm. But there are two possibilities.’

’One, my dear husband is right here in the Wuyun Sect.’

’Two, my dear husband deliberately chose to enter the Secret Realm at this exact moment to throw me off.’

Meng Qiewei didn’t need to dwell on it.

The timing was too precise. It meant he was nearby.

And there were no other Sects in the vicinity.

Under the Immortal Sect’s governance, the distance between any two Sects was considerable.

So, it was almost certain he was in the Wuyun Sect.

The surrounding towns were also a possibility, but the probability was too low.

What Unparalleled Celestial Pride would linger in a town? Especially one who could utter such a phrase.

Meng Qiewei drank a cup of tea and chose to withdraw her other methods.

If she continued, she might not be able to identify the specific person.

She might even be detected by that Evil God.

"Keep an eye on him. See what this Celestial Pride is planning," Meng Qiewei instructed.

"Yes." Qing Dai breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed her lady was more curious about the Secret Realm than the Immortal Sect’s investigation.

’Why, though?’

’Could it be related to the Lady’s husband?’

To this day, she still couldn’t figure out how the Lady’s husband had managed to marry her.

Everyone within the Immortal Sect’s sphere of influence who knew of this was probably very curious.

——

「Meanwhile.」

The Old Yellow Ox, peacefully grazing on some grass, furrowed his brow slightly. ’It wasn’t triggered? Can his luck really be that heaven-defying?’